Today we're fitting in several little adventures. First up, we're heading to Oeschinen Lake. You can see in the map above that the camp is at "A," the train station (center of town) is where the train symbol is, and the two gondola symbols show where we'll gain elevation. From the uppermost gondola symbol on the map we'll hike to the lake.
We had a lot of hiking ahead of us today, so we timed it right to ride the bus into town. I'm sure the local townspeople hate how their valley is overrun with Scouts each summer, making it impossible to find a seat on the bus.
We walked from the bus stop to the gondola (about 1/2 an hour), and bought our tickets for the gondola at a discount with our railpasses.
Looking down on Kandersteg from the Gondola.
At the top of the gondola was a rodelbahn run, and the girls were excited to have a go. It was not nearly as long or as crowded as the one at Mt. Pilatus, but it had more switchbacks.
Kelsey was cautious at first, but then let loose. She felt more confident on this shorter track, and because there weren't many people here, the only one she had to worry about running into her was her sister.
Kelsey would have liked to do this all day, if only time and money allowed.
The variety of wildflowers was as impressive as the views.
After 5 rides on the rodelbahn, we started the 1/2 hour hike to Oeschinensee, a beautiful mountain lake that the Scout Center encouraged all Scouts to go to.
The hike was a little longer than we expected, but we were in the company of families and even elderly folks hunched over canes and arm crutches, so there was no complaining in our party allowed.
Finally the lake came into view, and what a beauty! Look at those cows down there by the water, the snow on the peaks, the blue of the water, and the waterfalls in the distance.
Moo! In the United States cattle are kept in crowded feed lots, and dairy cows in muddy pens. They're fed an unnatural diet of corn and ground up dead animals, not to mention being injected with hormones and antibiotics. In Switzerland the cows laze beside lakes and graze on grass. No wonder the milk and meat tastes so much better here!
This cow was so happy to be touched, it rubbed its face against Aubrietta's leg, and I could almost swear that I heard it purring contentedly like a cat. Cows are very gentle animals, and as mothers they are very loving. I can't imagine a sweet soul like this stuck on a feed lot. This is the way cows should live!
Even though there was cow poop along the shore of the lake, the girls were determined to go in the lake because "swimming in a mountain lake" was one of the requirements toward earning one of the adventure badges from the Scout Camp. The girls got about this far, and I called it "swimming" as far as the badge requirement went, since we didn't have the ability to wash afterwards. I wasn't keen on the girls developing a case of "swimmer's itch" with all the hiking we had ahead of us.
Interesting strata in the surrounding peaks.
We left the lake and hiked back to the gondola station sooner than we would have liked, since we were due in Adelboden at the Girl Scout Chalet at 14:00.
Looking down on Kandersteg. There's the school with its red rubber playfield, the town pool complex, and the train tracks coming into the station.
On our walk from the Gondola to the bus stop we discovered this "one hole" miniature golf, with rotating challenges.
This area of Switzerland is unique in that it is not served by the national Postauto bus service, but a private bus company. Any Scout wearing their neckerchief or vest/sash can ride the bus for free. All the buses had these trailers behind them, as they often carried cargo from the train station up to the remote mountain villages.
Here you can see the bus trip we took, from Kandersteg "A" to Adelboden "B." Down one valley, and up the next. The ride took a full hour.
There were many switchbacks along the way.
The girls were still wearing their rashguard swim outfits, so they sat in the back of the bus and inconspicuously changed back into hiking clothes.
Near the town of Fruitigen this little girl strode onto the bus with her wooden scooter bike. She stood there like a seasoned commuter in the area reserved for baby carriages and bikes.
When her stop came, she rode right off. (The bus was a low-floor kneeler that met the curb perfectly).
Hillsides continued to be busy with hay harvesting.
Such beautiful views from the bus.
When we arrived in Adelboden I was reminded why I decided to stay at the Kandersteg Scout Center instead of the Girl Scout Chalet. We got off the bus at "A" and hiked to "B." It was entirely UP HILL.
I couldn't imagine doing this with luggage, or on a daily basis. It took 40 minutes for us to get from the bus stop to the chalet. Daddy almost didn't make it, the steep grade was so hard on his bad knee.
We kept getting passed by tractors and balers, and it was so temping to take a running leap and hop on, except the hay was piled so high there was no room for us. This baler was being driven by two boys not much older than Aubrietta and Kelsey.
Looking back down towards town, only about halfway up to the Girl Scout Chalet at this point. We were not alone on our trek. Besides the balers and tractors, an elderly couple was huffing and puffing along with us. The woman had visited the Chalet as a teen Girl Scout 50 years ago, and was excited to see it again after all these years. I wasn't sure if she was going to make it to the top -- either she would drop dead of a heart attack, or her husband, who was swearing under his breath, would take her out for making them do this hike. He clearly wanted to be elsewhere, perhaps on a golf course or cruise ship.
And here we are. The Girl Guides from Scotland that we were to meet at 14:00 were already in the midst of their tour. We joined them for the tail end, then went to the little shop (pictured far left) to buy patches. Behind Aubrietta and Kelsey is "Our Chalet" built in 1932. 80 years old!
View from World Association of Girl Guides / Girl Scouts "Our Chalet." It looks peaceful, but unfortunately for us, during our brief visit a pellet stove fuel delivery truck arrived and blew pellets into the basement of the chalet using one of those obnoxiously loud truck-mounted blowers. It was so loud that listening to the tour guide during the outdoor portion of the tour was pointless -- we couldn't hear a thing.
Aubrietta and Kelsey with the Scotland Girl Guides and their leaders in the library of the Girl Scout Chalet.
Spycher Chalet, built in 1999, next to the original Girl Scout Chalet.
During the tour we discovered a father and daughter who were staying at Kandersteg were there for the tour as well. The daughter, Sarah, was Kelsey's age and came along with her older brother's scout troop to Kandersteg. Her dad had taken her to see the Girl Scout Chalet while the Boy Scouts were off doing something else. They had a rental car, so I quickly arranged for Daddy (who was passed out in the grass, barely able to move for the pain in his knee) and Kelsey to get a ride back to camp with them. Aubrietta and I joined the Scotland Girl Guides for the hike and bus ride back.
At the bus stop in Adelboden Aubrietta learns from one of the Scotland Guide Leaders how to tie a friendship knot in her new neckerchief.
We took the bus to Fruitigen, then the train from Fruitigen to Kandersteg, then the bus from Kandersteg's train station back to camp. Aubrietta had a great time talking with the girls from Scotland, comparing notes on school, Scout adventures, trends/fashions, and all the other things young teen girls like to chat about.
Arriving back at camp, I found Kelsey and her new friend Sarah were busy with a Lego kit Sarah brought to our room. Sarah was from Wisconsin and had spent the last week in the company of her dad, her brother, and her brother's Scout group. She was so grateful to find a girl to play with!
On our way to dinner we stopped by to see Sarah's room, which she shared with her dad and two other leaders of her brother's troop. The Boy Scouts were out in tents, but the leaders got to stay in the chalet. How come I can't camp this way back at Girl Scout Camp in the United States?
Dinner tonight: Chili, green beans, rice, and "salad bar" (diced bell peppers, tomatoes, and pineapple rings).
The Scout Camp has a resident cat. Here it is having its dinner.
And later, taking a nap in the reception area.
The welcome board shows who is here, where they are from, and who just arrived today. 63 Scouts and Guides (boys and girls) are arriving from Ireland today, along with 76 others from various countries. That's in addition to all of us who are already here. This is a big place. I am so glad we stayed here instead of at the Girl Scout Chalet, which only accommodates about 100 when they are at full capacity.
After dinner there were a number of activities to choose from. We opted for KanderChallenge, which was similar to "Race the World" which Aubrietta did on Tuesday, where teams were formed and a number of challenges happened.
Instead of performing all the challenges simultaneously on the big field, the teams had to race between stations scattered throughout the camp. Sadly it was difficult to find open stations, and time spent waiting meant that our team was only able to go to 4 of the 10 stations. I'm not sure if any of the teams were able to complete all 10 in the time allotted, which was disappointing.
Lashing together a rescue stretcher seemed easy enough, except that the previous teams had left the rope in knots that needed to be untied first!
Aubrietta and the Scotland Guides attack those knots.
Success! Kelsey was the lightest weight, so she was chosen to ride the stretcher.
The final challenge had all the teams together in the field to build a "vessel that will contain water" out of a piece of newspaper, a paper clip, a tiny water balloon, a straw, and string. Of course this was pretty much impossible. The challenge was to have one person from the group sit beneath the contraption as a pinkie poured a bucket of water into it.
There was some random water-balloon tossing while the contraptions were being built, and this Pinkie (staff member) tossed a balloon and accidentally hit a leader, soaking her, so she demanded that he be the one to test out their team's contraption.
Of course no one could win at this competition.
As the pouring of water from buckets finished up, the water balloon fight began. You can see Aubrietta there on the left, laughing. What fun!
Just as Kander-Challenge wrapped up, the 63 Scouts and Guides from Ireland arrived by charter bus.
It is always fun to see new people arriving, full of anticipation for the adventures ahead.
Kelsey and Sarah returned to our room and the Legos, while Aubrietta and I decided to catch the night hike. Initially Sarah wanted to come, so we took time to find her dad and check in with him, find Sarah's sweater, etc, and then in the end she decided she'd rather play Lego. Aubrietta and I thought we could catch up with the night hike, but we were just too far behind. We had a good hike anyway, but on our way back Aubrietta started tying and untying her neckerchief, practicing the friendship knot, and suddenly she realized her "woggle" (the leather or embroidered ring) had slipped off. It was on the ground somewhere, if someone hadn't picked it up, so we spent the next hour retracing our steps, until it was too dark to see.
While stopped for a moment we heard something rustling beside our feet. Something ALIVE. My flashlight wasn't powerful enough to catch it, but I had my big camera with its powerful flash, and above you can see what the camera caught -- a GIANT toad! It was almost as big as my hand.
It was late (nearing 22:00!) and that woggle was gone, so we headed back to our room. Aubrietta was really sad about loosing her woggle, since it was the special Girl Scout 100th anniversary one, and there was no way we could get another. Hopefully someone found it and will enjoy it.
It was another full day, and our last night at Scout Camp.
NEXT: Day 37 -- Back to Zurich with a Stop in Bern -- Friday, July 20th
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